The Nobel Rhetoric Prize

It was obvious President Obama didn’t enjoy his appearance in Oslo at the Nobel awards as he tried to take the wind out of his critics’ sails. He admitted to the audience that there were probably others more deserving of the honor being bestowed upon him. He was right. Considering that he was nominated for the prize just ten days into his first term, it’s obvious how little his policies had to do with the award. Not a good omen.

Obama then followed up with some plain talk. He mentioned the evil abroad in the world today. He expressed great respect for Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela but said their methods weren’t necessarily suitable for solving every problem. It was gratifying that he didn’t try to butter up his audience but went on the offensive to present his views. Rightly so: to award the Peace Prize to anyone who continues the war in Iraq, a war he has called wrong, while simultaneously escalating a war in Afghanistan in order to prop up an American-installed government unable to do anything as simple as credibly rigging an election, is indeed grotesque to say the least.

Whether the committee did Obama a favor in selecting him is still an open question. At any rate, they chose to give the award to a man who sees himself as a pragmatist and realist caught in the midst of pressure-group politics-–something he freely admits-–an award that has more to do with a do-gooder image than he is likely to feel comfortable with. Obama isn’t mankind’s savior, he’s an American president who represents the desires of the nation’s ruling class and differs from his hapless predecessor in that he tries to help the common people and make a friendly impression. That’s real progress by American standards.

But when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, he is rock hard: the Iraq war was wrong but we’re stuck with it and we can’t leave until conditions warrant a withdrawal. The Afghanistan war can and must be won. Guantanamo–oh, well! Obama already gave in on the Palestine issue and whether that helps healthcare reform, we’ll have to wait and see. To be sure, all this isn’t Obama’s fault alone-–he faces fierce opposition that limits his options. But none of that should distract us from the fact that the Obama many claim to know so well is a media creation that hides the real Obama. Who that may be is unknown-–probably he doesn’t even know himself at this point in time.

The Peace Prize for Obama was an ideological award. Obama is supposed to be encouraged-–even forced-–to translate the Nobel committee’s noble intentions into reality. In doing this, the committee put Obama under unnecessary pressure and further damaged the prize itself, if such a thing is even still possible. Obama knows that and, insofar as this appearance permitted, said as much. After which, he immediately departed.